The Metropolitan Council held a zoning meeting on August 20, 2025, addressing multiple rezoning, plan amendment, and right-of-way revocation cases. The council approved, denied, or withdrew several items after public hearings and deliberation.
Welcome everybody to the Metropolitan Council zoning meeting this Wednesday, August 20th, 2025. We're going to call a meeting in order. Actually, we have a quorum. We have a quorum. Be reminded that we're going to have uh on each agenda item where there's a public hearing, we're going to have proponents will speak first and uh followed by the opponents. Each speaker will have three minutes and then the proponents or the applicant will be allowed a three-minute rebuttal. Case one, or number one, case 1325 T 1482 Lobdale Avenue to rezone property from single family residentials to neighborhood office located on the west side of Lobdale Avenue, north of LaSalle Avenue, Council District 11 Adams. Commission action motion to approve carried six to one. Anyone here wishing to speak on this item? We have a list. Wishing to speak in favor, we have uh David Patterson. Good evening, David Patterson with Land Source 6730 Exchequer Drive, Baton Rouge. I'm here representing uh the owners of the property, the Catrones. Uh I was contacted in February of this year by the Catrones to rezone the property, and from day one and consistently through the last five six months, the Catrones made it clear that they want to do something with the property that is in keeping with the character of this unique part of town and that respects both the commercial and residential neighbors. Um the last six months has involved uh a lot of emails, phone calls uh with our councilwoman um Laurie Adams, and thank you for her help and guidance and the leadership of a few of the nearest residential neighbors, neighborhoods. Um in my initial recommendation to the Catrones. Um I recommended that they apply for LC1 that came from me, not from the Catrones. Um after discussions with the planning staff, we decided to apply for neighborhood commercial. Um this zoning significantly limits the uses allowed and the size of any development. Um but in May, we requested that the planning director delay our project to provide a little more time to work with the area residents. Um then, in response to discussion with the neighborhood neighborhoods, uh the Catrones decided to scrap the neighborhood commercial zoning and request neighborhood office, which is um neighborhood office is the most restrictive non-residential zoning that we have in this parish. Um in June, we asked Laurie Adams to defer our request a second time to allow for the change uh the change to neighborhood office and to provide more time to talk with the residents and set up an in-person meeting. This meeting took place on Tuesday, the July 8th. There were 20 approximately 25 residents present representing seven different subdivisions, Goodwood Estates, Goodwood Village, Tilton Court, Boca Condos, Normandy Acres, Township at Old Goodwood, and Lobdale Acres. Um we felt the meeting went well uh after presentations from Mr. Catrone and myself. There was a QA period lasting about 35 minutes. Uh Mr. Controne and I were asked to step out about 30 minutes later, we were invited back into the room to meet with five individuals that represented officers of one or more of the neighborhoods. Uh we were informed that we wouldn't be receiving a letter of support, which had been our goal that night. Um we were told that in this private meeting there were four or five of the twenty-five president present that weren't in that were in opposition to our rezoning request. Um we were also told that the bylaws for the subdivision, and I'm assuming Goodwood estates prevented them from supporting any rezoning other than A1, and that we would not receive any support. And in fact, their official position would be to oppose the rezoning. Um with the time that I have left, um Mr. Paz, you have about 10 seconds. Okay. Um let you finish your thought. Pardon me? I'll let you finish your thought. Okay, thank you. Um, with the time I have left, I'd like to anticipate some of the comments. Um I don't have time for that, do I? Okay. Well, thank you very much. Thank you. And I apologize. We're working on getting the clock pulled up. We're gonna manually track. Uh anyone else wishing to speak in favor of the project. See now, we're going to go to those wishing to speak in opposition.